San Diego, CA – The National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS) today presented its prestigious Affiliate of the Year Award to the Wisconsin Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (WIACNS). The Award recognizes an NACNS affiliate that has sustained membership growth, offered educational opportunities, built clinical nurse specialist (CNS) leadership, contributed to NACNS’ growth, and advanced the CNS role.
The Wisconsin Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists has worked hard to ensure advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) title protection in Wisconsin. The affiliate has a lobbyist and also conducted grassroots efforts to ensure passage of the legislation. The affiliate developed and distributed toolkits to help its members urge the legislature to support the APRN uniformity act.
During its annual conferences and other meetings, the affiliate regularly holds sessions and workshops on cutting edge topics. It also works to promote awareness of the CNS role with other health professionals and the public through a Chief Nursing Officer-CNS shared governance breakfast. In collaboration with a community organization, WIACNS will provide a CNS to lead a walk and health education activity as part of an annual “Walk with a Doc” program.
“The Wisconsin Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists has done a remarkable job of increasing awareness of the CNS role with health care professionals, policy makers and the public,” said NACNS 2015 President Peggy Barksdale, MSN, RN, OCNS-C, CNS-BC. “Their outreach and education efforts are making a difference, not only for CNSs in Wisconsin, but also for the patients they care for and in the state’s overall health care.”